GMOS: WHOLE FOODS’ EMPLOYEES, CUSTOMERS NEED BETTER INFORMATION, CRITICS SAY
by Sarah Morgan

With more and more consumers seeking out organic produce with nature’s original genes still intact, Whole Foods has become a Mecca for environmentally conscious eaters. But questions have been raised as to whether Whole Foods, touted as America’s first certified organic national grocer, is being completely honest with customers concerning the labeling of genetically modified foods.

Though genetically modified organisms or GMOs (also called genetically engineered or GE foods) have been common ingredients in most processed foods for almost a decade, a growing concern about the long-term effects of such products has caused many consumers to try to avoid them. When questioned, employees at both of Houston’s Whole Foods stores denied that they sell GMO foods, but a phone call to the corporate office yielded a more informed response. Representatives at the corporate level said that they cannot guarantee that Whole Foods stores do not carry GMO products. In fact, odds are that they carry hundreds of products that contain GMOs.

The Whole Foods’ web site acknowledges that GMOs are a troubling problem: "When it comes to our food supply we are very concerned about the disruptive effect genetic engineering may have on our environment and whether long-term human health issues have been thoroughly addressed."

Some activists have been battling with these seemingly contradictory policies since the mid-90s, calling for better labeling of GMO foods, which Whole Foods claims it wants. According to the Whole Foods web site, "We are actively engaged in efforts to establish mandatory labeling of foods with genetically modified ingredients. Labeling will enable consumers to avoid products produced by means that may be contradictory to religious, spiritual, and/or ethical beliefs."

But shareholders and consumers are not satisfied.

"We’ve been very disappointed with Whole Foods’ response," said Jenny Clark, a shareholder who has been active in the dialogue between shareholders and the Whole Foods’ corporate offices concerning the marketing and labeling of GMO products.

Clark and others feel that Whole Foods’ response to the issue has been misleading. Shoppers are under the impression that the products carried in the stores are non-GMO and employees in the stores are not sufficiently educated to the issue, she said.

"They are building their business on a myth," said Candace Boheme, a shareholder advisor also active concerning GMOs. Boheme said that the brochures about GMOs that the stores once carried are no longer being displayed prominently, if at all, and customers are not informed.

"They’re distancing themselves from the issue," Boheme said.

The Whole Foods’ corporate office will openly admit that the only way to avoid GMOs is to buy organic food. But food products that are labeled as being organic may still contain GMOs, as the US Food and Drug Administration standard for the organic label requires that only 95 percent of ingredients be organic.

For those who want to avoid GMOs (and pesticides, growth hormones, and sewage-sludge) in their foods, "100% organic" is the label to look for. Many find such fare at local farmers’ markets and co-ops. Whole Foods also carries 100% organic products, including their Whole Foods Premium label, and the 365 Everyday Value and Whole Kids product lines. Whole Foods has even reformulated some of their products, including sodas, ice cream, and frozen fruit bars, to remove corn syrup because they could not be sure the syrup was non-GMO, according to their web site.

But many continue to question Whole Foods’ practices, saying that these steps are not enough.

"They can still do better," said Boheme, who added that, with all the good things that Whole Foods has done, it is surprising that the store is not doing more to educate the public.

Some consumers have become so frustrated with the lack of response from Whole Foods’ corporate offices that they have decided to take their business elsewhere, including HEB’s Central Market stores. But it seems that employees at Central Market may be just as misinformed. A phone call to the Central Market at 3815 Westheimer in Houston resulted in another wavering response. After explaining what exactly GMOs were, the response was that, no, they did not carry such products. But Clark and Boheme have also been involved in discussions with HEB regarding GMOs and insist that the grocer has been more willing to discuss the issue and that they are taking steps in the right direction.

"I just want an honest label," said Clark.

According the Whole Foods’ web site, that’s what they want, too. The site encourages consumers to contact the US Food and Drug Administration and congressional representatives to ask them to support mandatory labeling.

However, according to the federal agency, "For FDA to require labeling there must be something tangibly different about the food. In general, this means most genetically engineered foods will not need special labeling because they will be similar to traditionally bred varieties."

But Clark and others feel that this FDA policy is the crux of the matter.

"Consumers cannot rely on the FDA to protect their health," said Clark, who pointed to studies of the FDA’s overall lack of involvement in testing procedures to assure the safety of GM products.

"Read your labels very carefully," Clark said, advising consumers to avoid the main GM foods, including corn, soy, canola, and cottonseed. But Boheme stressed that even this may prove difficult as labels may list such ingredients as textured vegetable protein, lecithin, or even vitamin E, all of which may contain or be processed from GM crops.

FLAME RETARDANTS FOUND IN FOODS IN DALLAS SUPERMARKETS
by Sarah Morgan

Chemicals used in flame retardants were found in food products taken straight from Dallas, Texas, supermarket shelves, according to a study released Sept. 1, which points out that the chemicals have been linked to serious health problems including cancer.

After an earlier study reported high levels of PBDEs in the breast milk of 47 women in Dallas and Austin – the highest levels found in the world to date – researchers selected three major supermarket chains in Dallas for this new study and sampled well-known brands, assuming these were foods the women might have eaten.

The study tested 32 food samples, finding polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs, in all tested foods that contained animal fats. The highest levels were found in fish, followed by meat and then dairy products. PBDEs are used not only in flame retardants, but also as additives in electronics and in sofas and other furniture, according to the study.

Though little is known about the specific toxic effects of flame retardants, their increasing presence in human tissue is cause for concern because they are reported to have been associated with cancer, endocrine disruption, and impaired brain development in animal studies.

According to the American Chemical Society, a nonprofit organization of chemists and chemical engineers, the European Union has already banned two types of PBDE and is considering banning a third.

The study, published by Environmental Science and Technology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society, is the first of its kind to be conducted in the US. The American Chemical Society said that only two similar studies have been made, one in Spain and one in Japan, and the US levels found were higher than both.

The Spanish study reported an upper PBDE level of 340 parts per trillion, while the Texas study found a salmon filet with a level of more than 3,000 parts per trillion. The researchers did not speculate on why levels in samples from Dallas supermarkets were higher than in the other two studies.

For more information or to read the complete report, visit
http://www.ems.org/rls/2004/09/01/flame_retardants.html#top_release.

URBAN HARVEST SERIES: PERMACULTURE AND LAND DESIGN

Urban Harvest’s four-month series of classes on permaculture and land design will begin Wednesday, September 8, from 7 pm to 9:30 pm, and will continue for the next eight Wednesdays, through December 15. There will also be two required Saturday field trips to area gardens. The classes will detail sustainable land designs, including methods for using patterns in the natural and material environment, assessing land potential, guiding surface and rain water to places where it will be beneficial, and more. Members of the Permaculture Guild of Houston will be teaching this course at 2990 Richmond, sixth floor. For more information or to register, call (713) 880-5540 or visit http://www.urbanharvest.org. Pre-registration is required.

EAST TEXAS HERPETOLOGICAL SOCIETY CONFERENCE AND EXPO

The East Texas Herpetological Society’s big event is fast approaching. The annual conference, breeder expo, and educational exhibit will be held from Friday, September 10, to Sunday, September 12, and will feature a keynote presentation, banquet, auction, and breeder expo and sale. This year’s event will be at the Crowne Plaza, where conference attendees can receive a discounted rate if they reserve rooms by September 1. ETHS is currently accepting registration for tables for this year’s Breeder’s Expo and Sale, which are on a first-come, first-serve basis. For registration and vendor information, contact Buzz Jehle at (713) 464-6023, or dxer@oxr.com, or visit http://www.eths.org.

NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY OF TEXAS WILDSCAPES WORKSHOP AND PLANT SALE

The Houston chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas is currently accepting registration for their seventh annual wildscapes workshop and plant sale – landscaping with native plants to attract wildlife. The event will be held Saturday, September 11, from 9 am to 3 pm, and will include a book sale, a plant sale (with hard-to-find plants), exhibits, door prizes, and more. Speakers will be Barney Lipscomb and Gloria and John Tveten, as well as many others, who will be speaking on a variety of subjects from the botanical heritage of Texas to native plants in our landscape. The sale will be held at the University of Houston, main campus. For more information or to register, contact Glenn Olson at houston@npsot.org or, (281) 345-4151.

NATURE DISCOVERY CENTER POSITION OPEN: STAFF NATURALIST

The Nature Discovery Center is seeking a full-time staff naturalist. This position has diverse responsibilities and opportunities for growth and skill development. It includes overseeing the Discovery Rooms (two museum-style rooms with live animals, specimens, artifacts, and a variety of activities for children and adults) and teaching children on school field trips and in day camps. Other responsibilities may include developing after-school activity units, exhibit research and development, park maintenance, or web page updating. A degree or experience in education, environment, or related field is valuable but not necessary. Spanish speaking skills are a plus. Starting salary $18,000 per year, usually increasing to $20,000 after three months. Health benefits included. For more information and directions, visit http://www.naturediscoverycenter.org or contact Jenni Malone (713) 667-6550; jmalone@naturediscoverycenter.org.

CONSUMER GUIDE DETAILS ILLS AND ALTERNATIVES FOR COMMON PRODUCTS

A free online consumer guide published in March by the Worldwatch Institute describes the environmental, social, and health harms associated with a wide range of products, including appliances, baby products, DVDs, clothing, cell phones, and food. The guide takes a behind the scenes look at how products are made, and offers simple advice and alternatives that enable people to reduce some of the ills associated with the things they buy.
For each product, the guide also describes successful efforts by governments, businesses, and nonprofit groups around the world to reduce negative impacts associated with common products.
http://www.worldwatch.org/pubs/goodstuff

NEW REPORT IN PARKS FOR PEOPLE SERIES

The Trust For Public Land’s Parks for People initiative works in cities across America to ensure that everyone--in particular every child--enjoys access to a park, playground, or open space. A new Parks for People report by Peter Harnik, director of TPL's Center for City Park Excellence, highlights the need for parks in Newark, New Jersey. The report's release follows by several months the publication of TPL's Parks for People white paper, which makes the case for new city parks nationwide. Upcoming Parks for People publications will focus on other US cities.
http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=13843&folder_id=175

A HANDBOOK FOR ACTIVISTS

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, Wilderness Forever has created a handy-dandy guide to taking action. Learn how to draft your own action letters, organize enjoyable activism events, and get in touch with local media.
To obtain your own tree-free version of the guide:
http://www.wildernessforever.org/action/index.html
Learn more about the Wilderness Act:
http://www.wilderness.org/OurIssues/Wilderness/act.cfm

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